Dependence of Surface Contrast on Emission Angle in Cassini ISS 938-nm Images of TitanTitan, the largest of Saturn s moons, is one of the most difficult solid surfaces in the Solar System to study. It is shrouded in a thick atmosphere with fine haze particles extending up to 500 km. [1] The atmosphere itself is rich in methane, which allows clear viewing of the surface only through narrow "windows" in the methane spectrum. Even in these methane windows, the haze absorbs and scatters light, blurring surface features and reducing the contrast of images. The haze optical depth is high at visible wavelengths, and decreases at longer (infrared) wavelengths. [2]
Document ID
20050167753
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Fussner, S. (Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
McEwen, A. (Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Perry, J. (Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Turtle, E. (Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Dawson, D. (Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Porco, C. (Space Science Inst. Boulder, CO, United States)
West, R. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2005
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 6